This invention relates to containers with caps that are integrated with the walls thereof and to methods of fabricating and using such containers without causing inadvertent breakage of the caps.
Containers with integral caps are widely used. They provide a storage compartment in which the contents remain completely sealed until they are ready for use. At the time of use the cap is severed from the associated container, typically by cutting, torsional shearing or by bendably breaking the cap from the container. In some cases, the cap is depressable into the container. Examples are provided by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,849,739; 3,083,848; 3,187,966; 4,066,190; 4,081,108; 4,122,980; 4,134,511; 4,137,977; 4,176,755; 4,231,486 and 4,260,065. Other examples are provided by British Pat. No. 935,117, published Aug. 28, 1963; Austrian Pat. No. 202,510, issued Mar. 10, 1959, and Swiss Pat. No. 289,564, published July 1, 1953.
The severing process required with ordinary integral cap containers often poses difficulties and inconvenience. Cutting implements are now always available, and their cutting action can damage the cap and interfere with the subsequent closure of the container. In the case of caps that require a twisting or breaking action, substantial force can be required. The twisting and breaking action can also damage the interface between the cap and its associated container. The result is interference with subsequent closure. In some cases the amount of twisting and breaking force can be so great, severence is not easily achieved and additional measures are required.
In general, where the cap is integrated with the container in a way that makes severence of the cap comparitively simple, there is a significant danger of inadvertent breakage during handling and shipment. The need to prevent inadvertent breakage has previously interfered with the desire to provide integrated caps that are easily closable.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to facilitate the use and construction of integral cap devices. Another object is to simplify such devices.
A further object of the invention is to curtail the amount of cutting, breaking and twisting needed in severing an integral cap from its associated container.
Another object of the invention is to provide an integral cap device that is not easily damaged in handling and shipment. A related object is to limit the extent to which an integrated cap will be separated from its associated container during shipment and handling. Another related object is to avoid in inadvertent rupture of integrated cap and consequent loss of container contents during handling and shipment.
A still further object of the invention is to expedite the use and reuse of integral cap containers. A related object is to expedite the reuse of integral cap containers that are resistant to inadvertent breakage and damage during handling and shipment. Another related object is to achieve a satisfactory, simplified and reusable seal between an initially integral cap and its associated container.